Seniors get help re-entering the workforce

Bob "Smilie" Patch, 83, bags groceries at the Publix in Heathbrook on Monday. Bob is one of a growing number of older workers who have rejoined the workforce.

ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAR-BANNER

By JESSICA GREENETHE LEADER

Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 9:12 a.m.

OCALA - Lennie Abramson jokingly says he has contemplated robbing a bank on more than one occasion. Looking for additional cash flow, this senior citizen is searching for a part-time job but has found re-entry into the workforce challenging.
Last Friday, job seekers like Abramson filled the room inside the University Center at Central Florida Community College for a seminar on workforce re-entry presented by Ed Kelly.
Kelly, author of "Your Move into the World of Work," presented the seminar in conjunction with Pathways Life Services, a CFCC program catering to individuals in or nearing retirement.
More and more seniors living in retirement communities aren't fully retired. This isn't uncommon anymore, said John Murphy, coordinator for Pathways Life Services.
A study conducted by Florida State University and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports that by the year 2015, more than 20 percent of the workforce will be made of individuals age 55 and over.
Some seminar attendees were searching for guidance on resume-building. One strategy Kelly uses is creating a "functional" resume rather than using the common chronological format. Focus on objectives, experiences and accomplishments without listing dates, he advised.
Dee Miller said she'd always been referred to positions or had been sought out by employers, so she has never created a resume. For her, the resume instruction was particularly helpful.
Barbara Vanhouten came in search of strategies to handle being branded "overqualified." When applying for a position, many applicants worry that they won't be qualified enough. But, as experienced members of the workforce, those looking for employment later in life are often turned away for being overqualified.
Vanhouten resents being told that she's overqualified.
"If I wasn't interested in the position, I wouldn't be there," she said.
Phil Dwyer is retired. A successful career already behind him, he is looking for some extra cash flow. Hobbies can be expensive, he said.
"I'm a golfer, but I'm not going to play golf six days a week," he added.
Although some re-enter the workforce to relieve retirement boredom, many revert to the daily grind to enhance their financial security, said David Davis, employment-training coordinator for Experience Works, a local agency that helps older generations gain training and employment.
"They find that Social Security and retirement don't cover what they need it to. I don't know how some of them get by on Social Security alone," he said.
The biggest hindrance to job seekers re-joining the workforce is a negative attitude. The most important thing to have as a prospective employee - and after being hired - is to have a positive attitude, said Kelly.
"It's what keeps you going," he said.

OCALA - Lennie Abramson jokingly says he has contemplated robbing a bank on more than one occasion. Looking for additional cash flow, this senior citizen is searching for a part-time job but has found re-entry into the workforce challenging.<BR>
Last Friday, job seekers like Abramson filled the room inside the University Center at Central Florida Community College for a seminar on workforce re-entry presented by Ed Kelly.<BR>
Kelly, author of "Your Move into the World of Work," presented the seminar in conjunction with Pathways Life Services, a CFCC program catering to individuals in or nearing retirement.<BR>
More and more seniors living in retirement communities aren't fully retired. This isn't uncommon anymore, said John Murphy, coordinator for Pathways Life Services.<BR>
A study conducted by Florida State University and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports that by the year 2015, more than 20 percent of the workforce will be made of individuals age 55 and over.<BR>
Some seminar attendees were searching for guidance on resume-building. One strategy Kelly uses is creating a "functional" resume rather than using the common chronological format. Focus on objectives, experiences and accomplishments without listing dates, he advised.<BR>
Dee Miller said she'd always been referred to positions or had been sought out by employers, so she has never created a resume. For her, the resume instruction was particularly helpful.<BR>
Barbara Vanhouten came in search of strategies to handle being branded "overqualified." When applying for a position, many applicants worry that they won't be qualified enough. But, as experienced members of the workforce, those looking for employment later in life are often turned away for being overqualified.<BR>
Vanhouten resents being told that she's overqualified.<BR>
"If I wasn't interested in the position, I wouldn't be there," she said.<BR>
Phil Dwyer is retired. A successful career already behind him, he is looking for some extra cash flow. Hobbies can be expensive, he said.<BR>
"I'm a golfer, but I'm not going to play golf six days a week," he added.<BR>
Although some re-enter the workforce to relieve retirement boredom, many revert to the daily grind to enhance their financial security, said David Davis, employment-training coordinator for Experience Works, a local agency that helps older generations gain training and employment.<BR>
"They find that Social Security and retirement don't cover what they need it to. I don't know how some of them get by on Social Security alone," he said.<BR>
The biggest hindrance to job seekers re-joining the workforce is a negative attitude. The most important thing to have as a prospective employee - and after being hired - is to have a positive attitude, said Kelly.<BR>
"It's what keeps you going," he said.